In the more than seven decades following his first appearance in Detective Comics #27, Batman has called a lot of colorful characters both enemies and allies (and sometimes both). This Friday, his latest big-screen adventure, The Dark Knight Rises, hits theaters everywhere, landing in a year jam-packed with some of the biggest genre releases of all time.

As impressive as 2012 may be for moviegoers, however, it’s old hat for Batman. He’s seen them all before!

Read on for proof as SuperHeroHype presents The Dark Knight vs. The Films of 2012!

1. THE DARK KNIGHT vs. THE THREE STOOGES

Batman has actually had a few run-ins with Moe, Larry and Curly, albeit under different names. It was in 1994’s Batman #506 and #507 that Azrael (filling in as Batman after Bane broke the hero’s back) tussled with street punks Hairy, Surly-Schmoe and Mojo, who mimicked the look of the Stooges as well as their unique parlance and penchant for violent slapstick.

“Why I oughtta feed yas anvils!” Mojo shouts as he slaps his partners in crime during a mugging, “…I oughtta pop your eyes!”

Though Azrael makes short work of the faux-Stooges, Batman: The Animated Series would again transform the trio into thugs with the recurring Mo, Lar and Cur, henchmen of the Joker and Harley Quinn. They make their first appearance in the 1997 episode “Holiday Nights” and can be seen again a couple of times in later episodes.

What’s more, if you’re playing the video game Arkham Asylum, you can overhear a brief Stooges reference when the Joker pages, “Doctor Howard, Doctor Fine, Doctor Howard.”

Not only is that the last name of Moe, Larry and Curly (respectively), it’s a direct reference to their 1934 short, Men in Black.